Monday, January 28, 2013

One minute i am replying to a message on facebook, and the very next minute i am standing outside watching my house burn down.

i am so completely drained physically, mentally and emotionally and do not have the energy to write out the story yet, but i will as i process things.

What i do remember is how it felt like an eternity before the fire trucks came, how i grabbed my computer, and a few other electronics that had been setting at the table because i was afraid of water damage when they put the fire out. Never in my mind did it occur to me that they wouldn't be able to put it out and that the fire would consume everything that we have spent the last 13 years building.

The support from the community, both local (Indian Valley) and online has been
incredible. This has been the hardest thing i've ever been through, but also an incredibly important learning experience. It's funny how when you have a house full of stuff, there is always something you need. Yet when you find yourself with nothing, you realize you need very little. We are all safe, we are all okay. That is all that we need right now. i can't even begin to express the gratitude i have for the neighbors who showed up to help us, who donated clothing, and animal feed. For the online Art Glass community and Hippie Mama Craft communities that have come together and shown us more love and support than we ever could have imagined.

As you can imagine we are completely overwhelmed right now just trying to find temporary housing, dealing with the insurance company all while trying to create some sort of normalcy for our children.

Our family created a page with a list of immediate needs, clothing sizes, and contact info. The page has also become a place where the Art Glass community and Hippie Mama crafters communtiy have come together to list many fabulous auctions to help raise money for our family. https://www.facebook.com/groups/521865481179484/522348181131214/

Team Auction to raise money for Kenan and Tree was set up by Jenna Michelle Kidd. It is an online fundraiser event running from Jan. 23- Jan. 3. The page is hosting lots of fantastic handmade craft Auctions that were put together by some amazingly talented artists. https://www.facebook.com/events/145811905574451/

It has been completely amazing and life changing to see so many people come together to help our family. i am truly at a loss of words, 'Thank you' just doesn't seem to express the amount of gratitude we feel. We have been forever changed by this experience. Once we are back on our feet, we will be making a very large effort to 'pay it forward'.

i will be blogging each step as we slowly begin to rebuild our lives again. Thank you all so much for your continued love and support.

Monday, January 21, 2013

We finally got our snow! It began early Thursday afternoon. The sky darkened and it started with the rain. The local schools released 3 hours early, due to the impending weather. So the kids sat around anxiously awaiting the snow. It began to fall around 3pm, and came down fast! The lights flickered a few times, and then went out.

i believe we got something like 8-9 inches in just a few hours. The kids went outside and played until dark. Then we lit candles and oil lamps, had cold sandwiches for dinner and sat around the stove reading books until bedtime.

Friday morning we woke to a beautiful scene! The storm had past leaving almost a foot of snow! The sky was clear and blue, it was an absolutely perfect winters day!

This is our road Friday morning. We were still without power and knew we'd be snowed in a while. We bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow.

We have this amazing hill to sled on just across the road. During the summer this field is full of cows, but in the winter we have permission to sled here. The hill is huge. Can you see my husband and kids up by the tree line? They are there, very tiny in the picture, but they are up there.

The hill in front of the old homestead is a bit tamer, and a bit less work to climb up and down. We spent several hours outside playing, then came inside and warmed up by the wood stove.

i truly cannot imagine not having a wood stove when the power is out. We lost power on Thursday night, and didn't get it back until Sunday Evening. We heated water on the wood stove, and made hot cocoa. and coffee with a french press. Despite not having power, i was able to cook pancakes, oatmeal, grilled cheese, beans and rice, vegetarian chili and quesadillas on the stove top using my cast iron.
Not having power was a bit of an inconvenience, but with our wood stove we were able to stay warm and well fed. We melted snow for flushing toilets, and water for the animals. All of our basic needs were met, and we were able to enjoy the quiet pace of being snowed in without power.

Without the distractions of technology, we spent as much time outside as we could. Instead of a snowman, my kids built a snow dragon.

i helped a little, but they designed it and did most of the work themselves. They made a nest of eggs that her tail curled around.

Unfortunately it began to melt before we ever got it finished. We
were trying to build up the body a bit more and add wings, but it just
didn't happen. It was still a ton of fun to make, and much more fabulous than a boring ol' snowman. :)

So, now that we've finally had our big snow, i am ready for spring! :)

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.